New hires and promotions

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Movers is the place for news about high-level appointments and promotions in South Florida. Have news we should know about? Then send us an e-mail and include the title of the new position, responsibilities, a phone number, previous position held and color .jpg photos.

Maura Kohl has been named director of finance and operations at Blanca Commercial Real Estate, based in Miami. Her previous experience includes positions at Lynd Asset Management, among others. She has a bachelor’s in English literature from Tufts University and an MBA from Fordham University.

Israel “Izzy” Alfonso has joined Akerman LLP as a partner in the firm’s real estate practice group in Miami. He joins the firm from Greenberg Traurig. He received his bachelor’s from the University of Miami and his J.D. from New York University.

William Banchs has been named CEO of the Baptist Health South Florida Foundation. He’ll run the daily operations and oversee fundraising. Banchs most recently served as president and CEO of the Scottsdale Cultural Council in Scottsdale, Ariz. Before that, he was the president of the Miami-based National YoungArts Foundation; founded the Miami School of Musical Arts in 1980 and served as its director; and taught music theory at the University of Miami. Banchs attended Harvard University, where he earned a bachelor’s in chemistry and physics and his master’s and Ph.D in music composition and theory.

Richard Davis has been appointed vice president of Nova Southeastern University’s regional campus network and online education. He’ll lead the planning, development and enrollment management of NSU’s campuses and its online education programs. He was the founding dean of NSU’s College of Healthcare Sciences. Davis received his bachelor’s of science in occupational health from the University of Southern Illinois-Carbondale, his bachelor’s of science in physician associate from the University of Oklahoma, a master’s in adult education from Troy State University, and a doctor of education from Nova Southeastern University.

Upendra Mody has been named vice president of total rewards at JM Family Enterprises. Mody will be responsible for the human resources functions of compensation, healthcare and retirement benefits, workers compensation and HR data management. Since 2011, he has served as assistant vice president of the company’s Enterprise Project Management Office. Mody has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the National Institute of Technology in India and an MBA from Florida Atlantic University.

Alan K. Fertel will be a partner in the Miami-Dade office of Weiss Serota Helfman Pastoriza Cole & Boniske. He will be a senior member of the litigation division Before his new job, Fertel was with Boyd & Jenerette. He has a J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law.

The best advice he ever received: ‘Treat all people with respect regardless of whether they were the chief bottle washer or the Chief Executive Officer.’

Tamir Kobrin has been appointed managing director of Acqualina Resort & Spa on the Beach in Miami Beach. Before, he was general manager at The Leela Palace in New Delhi, India. Kobrin has a diploma in hotel management from Les Roches International School for Hotel Management in Switzerland.

Ana Martinez and Barbara K. Norland have been named directors of philanthropy for The Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade. Martinez will also oversee creative strate
gies; Norland will oversee community development. Martinez was most recently the director of corporate partnerships, events and marketing for Hispanic Unity of Florida. She has a bachelor’s in Spanish and communications from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s from Florida International University. Norland previously was the director of the Junior Orange Bowl. Norland earned her master’s from Nova Southeastern University and her bachelor’s from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

Juan Carlos Sosa has been appointed executive vice president of operations of Venevision Studios at Cisneros Media, which incorporates all of the company’s production units. Sosa joined the Cisneros in April of 1994, as part of the telecommunications company Americatel Sistemas de Comunicación. He has a bachelor’s in business administration from the Universidad Santa María in Caracas.